I did get to try out some new boots that the nice people at fishing tackle suppliers, Fishtec sent me to test though and I must say first impressions are very good. The TF Gear Thermo-Tex Boots are constructed of very light weight (although thick) rubber which seems more flexible than normal welly material, this makes them very comfortable and easy to wear for a long period of time. They come with a removable fleece lining which took a bit of getting used to as you have to hold onto it while putting them on but once I’d figured this out they were great.

List price is £69.99 but you can get them from the fishtec website for £59.99 – a bit steep for a pair of glorified wellies but if you’re serious about winter fishing these would be ideal.

Would I buy a pair? Not now as these were free and until I tried these I’d have said no but after seeing (and feeling) the benefits of these boots, I’d have to say yes, especially since duuring our morning outing Wendy continually complained of cold toes while mine were positively toasty…

Buy TF Gear Thermo-Tex Boots from Fishtec.

With not getting out recently I was looking forward to a spot of fly fishing at our local fishery, Mere Beck and woke to a slightly overcast morning with a hint of drizzle in the air, not great weather for most but fantastic for trying to temp a trout or two.

I arrived around the same time as Gordon, the owner, and after the obligatory chat got down to the fishing.

First fly to try was a cats whisker, a white lure type fly with a white tail, green / yellow body and white ‘wing’. This fly pulses in the water and for reasons I’m not entirely sure of, is a great fly here in the UK. About 1/2 hour in I felt a pull and it was fish on. This felt like a good fish but after about 30 seconds the damn thing came off. Retrieving my line I found that my knot had come undone! This is the first time ever that, that has happened, not sure why but it’s probably due to lack of practice with the fine line after doing so much sea fising earlier in the year – I was a little mad at myself to say the least.

After about another hour the sun came out and realistically put paid to what little action there was although I did have a few enquiries on an orange lure in one of the ponds towards the rear of the complex. These have a few small goldfish in them as well as trout according to Simon (who caught at least 4 rainbow trout today), a very helpful chap I met, so it was no surprise the bigger fish will take orange lures.

And that was that, not fish today but it was great to be out fly fishing once more and hopefully, once the weather gets a bit cooler, the fish will come out to play properly.

As the nice people at Fishtec sent us some of the new 2011 Airflo Forty Plus line to test we took a trip down to our local fly fishery, Mere Beck, last Sunday to see if we could tempt any trout to come and play.

The weather was bizarre to say the least, red hot one minute, hammering it down the next, then hot enough to dry everything off again 10 minutes later.

After reading the reports from the previous few days we both fished a buzzer, washing line style, with a yellow blob on the point. It was fairly hard going with only one fish, a Rainbow Trout of about a pound, falling to a black epoxy buzzer for me and hardly anything showing on surface as the evening fell so I spent a good deal of time playing with the new line.

We’re not expert casters by any stretch of the imagination but my initial impressions of the weight forward, floating Airflo Forty Plus line are very good.

It shoots extremely well, with minimum resistance through the eyes on the rod and seems to load the rod a little earlier than the Greys Platinum line we normally use.

Turnover of the cast was good and watching Wendy it seemed to produce a good tight loop in the air aiding accuracy.

The 35 foot head of the fly  line is cream which blends into an orange low diameter running line which is ridged to aid distance and reduce friction. A low stretch ‘Power Core’ helps set the hook at the range this line is capable of being cast.

As Mere Beck is fairly small we weren’t able to see just how far it will cast but we’re going to Anglesey soon and there’s a very big lake, Llyn Alaw, full of trout so we’ll see what sort of distances we can achieve.

We were also sent some of the Airflo Forty Plus Cold Salt Water Floating / Intermediate line in WF8 which we intend to use during our Anglesey visit to catch, or at least try to catch, Bass. If it’s anything like as good as the line we tested we should be able to get a fly out to where the fish are feeding – we just have to hope they’re feeding on something that looks like what we’re offering them…

Last weekend the wind and rain finally died enough for us to get out fishing, we’d no bait for any of the summer sea fishing species so we went up to Mere Beck for a few hours on Monday evening for a touch of fly fishing.

With the sun still fairly high when we arrived at 6pm we started at the rear lake with nymphs, fished deeply on a slow retrieve. I had one take which I missed but after an hour and a half of fishing this method, using a few different flys and changing the retrieval depth and speed we elected to have a brew in the fishing hut, eat a quick snack and have a rethink.

By this time the sun was lower in the sky and we could see fish rising on the small lake near the hut so we changed over to dry flys to see if we could finally manage to nail a fish off the surface.

Time after time I had fish rise to my ‘emerger’ pattern fly but they just wouldn’t take it until a shout from the other end of the lake grabbed my attention as Wendy landed our first ever dry fly caught fish. This Rainbow Trout took a pattern called a Hares Ear ‘F’ Fly – which is basically an imitation of a small fly sitting on the surface film of the water.

Quickly I changed over to something similar but still I couldn’t connect with a fish so I changed location to the pontoon sticking out into the larger central lake where I could see fish rising.

I’m sure dry fly fishing is specifically designed to test an anglers patience as time after time the fish would rise to my fly only for me to lift into it too quickly, too slowly or be looking away in that fraction of a second it takes to miss the take. But damn… it’s exciting.

The wind started to produce a slight ripple and then finally everything came right as I landed my first dry fly caught Rainbow Trout, again on an ‘F’ Fly. It wasn’t huge but it fought well and after a quick photo it was released to fight another day.

We’re getting into our fly fishing now and it’s a great alternative to the style of sea fishing we do which depends a lot on the tide and availability of bait – now we have the gear it’s just a case of look out of the window to see what the weathers doing and go.

Just over 4 weeks until we hit Anglesey again where hopefully all this fly fishing on lakes will have helped our technique enough to have another go at salt water fly fishing – target species are Bass and Mullet, the trick to these will be finding them let alone catching them.

It’ll be fun though…

With the fantastic weather last weekend after all the usual garden centre faffing about we visited our local fly fishery, Mere Beck, to see if we could finally break our duck. It’s amazing how much better you feel when the weather is nice and it was T-shirt time as we donned our new vests, laden with flies and line and meandered our way to the back of the fishery – the plan being to gradually move back towards the lodge as the day wore on.

We knew the fishing would be hard with the sun beating down and after about an hour and a half of buzzer fishing we switched to weighted nymphs and it wasn’t long until Wendy had our first Mere Beck Rainbow Trout on a yellow nymph with red ribbing, a fish of about a pound.

As the day wore on we ended up at a smaller pond next to a cabin with the Tea making gear in it and after having something to eat, a brew and a chat with Gordon, the fishery owner, I fished a black and green weighted Montana lure as close to the reeds as I dared and finally a fish took. I almost lost it as it swam towards me but after a lively fight I landed my first ever Rainbow Trout, a fish of about a pound and a half.

You can’t really tell from the photo as apparently I don’t smile to camera according to Wendy but it was ace and I was chuffed to bits.

As the sun started to drop we made our way round the lakes looking for rising fish and armed with small black floating flies  called ‘Daddies’ (yes – they look like little Crane Flies or Daddy Long Legs) we spent a good hour cursing as we failed to connect with any trout taking flies off the surface – although we did each catch a Roach but I’m told they don’t count.

If there is anything as infuriating as watching a fish take your fly of the surface then fail to hook it I don’t know what it is – it is unbelievably exciting though…

The sun finally set on a lovely day where we both caught our first Rainbow Trout at Mere Beck and we made our way home tired and a bit sunburned but pleased with our progress as we learn more each time we go fly fishing.

Another fantastic days angling, can’t wait for the next…

Our pre-Christmas fly fishing / casting tuition was cancelled due to the weather so Mike Roden re-scheduled it for last weekend. Four brave souls met up in some fairly nasty weather with Mike at Curley’s Fly Fishery nr. Bolton and after a quick natter moved over the road to the park as the lakes were still frozen.

As we suspected we’d picked up a few bad habits since our last lessons with Mike but after a couple of hours we’d managed to iron most of them out and arranged to meet up in a month to continue our lessons after we’ve had time to practice all (or at least what we can remember) Mike taught us. We were going to call back in at Curley’s for lunch but it was packed so on our way home we called in at the Blue Anchor in Bretherton for a bite to eat and a pint.

The following day (Sunday) as Mere Beck, our local fly fishing water consists of small lakes interconnected with moving water we went for an afternoon session to see if we could put into practice a few of the techniques for accuracy we’d picked up the day before and maybe trick a trout or two out into the open water from under the ice.

Alas, no fish wanted to come and play but we had a lovely afternoon, eventually calling it a day as the sun set and the temperature started to plummet.

So, unlike my first sea fishing trip of the year, my first fly fishing trip resulted in a blank but I didn’t mind, fly fishing is just as relaxing as sea fishing and sometimes catching something, although it would have been nice, would just intrude upon the peace.

Trying to Tempt the Trout at Mere Beck Fly Fishery

After my recent poor form in the sea fishing department we had an evening session fly fishing at Mere Beck Fly Fishery, near Preston, a few nights ago. The reports had been pretty poor and apparently trout don’t like bright sunny conditions so the prospects of a fish didn’t look good but we packed some sandwiches and drove the whole 10 minutes (I know!!!) up the road to have a go anyway.

Big Grin - Little Fish

Chatting to Gordon, the Owner / Manager, who gave us a quick lesson over a year ago, it wasn’t fishing well but buzzers would be the way to go. Buzzers are basically small hooks ‘dressed’ to look like small nymphs and consist of a hook covered in thread to make it a bit thicker with slightly more to give it a ‘head’ shape near the eye of a small hook – that’s it.

As we had the place to ourselves (obviously everyone else decided it wasn’t worth trying) we had a bit of an explore around the various ponds the fishery has but appart from a few splashes we couldn’t tempt a trout although towards dusk there was increased activity and Wendy, spotting a few splashes on the surface in a shady spot, managed to catch the smallest fish I’ve seen in a long time – a Minnow I think.

Although the fish failed to turn up we still had a great evening and it’s a lot easier to practice casting and honing a new technique without an audience. I feel we getting better at casting each time we go and it helps that we can stand back and watch each other and give advice but we’ve got to the point where we need a bit more coaching so next bank holiday weekend we’ve booked a full day with a qualified AGPAI (Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors) instructor.

We’re looking forward to it and I’ve already been ‘chatting’ to him via email to get a few hints before we turn up – I’m sure Mike thinks he’s being stalked…

My First Fly Caught Fish - a small Roach

Do I look like a happy chap in the above photo? I think so!!!!

After mucking about last year and getting a bit of a taste for Fly Fishing we’re going to get a little more serious about it this year (ie, go more than twice a year) for both fresh and salt water species. As I was a bit rusty to say the least and Wendy a bit less so we went to Mere Beck Fly Fishery which is where it all started last year and had a very pleasant afternoon / early evening re-learning how to cast something that weighs almost nothing at a fish the out smarts you again and again and again.

The catch rate wasn’t great but this was more of a casting exercise than anything else although I did manage to catch a small roach on a fly that to be honest didn’t look much more than slightly fatter than normal black hook with red bit on the sides called a black buzzer – I think it’s supposed to look like a fly lava but whatever it looked like I caught two small roach so it must work.

No trout for us but we did see some caught while we were there so next session we’ll get a bit more into what flies to use and how to present and retrieve them to fool the fish into thinking they taste good.

Still can’t wait to catch a salt water species such as Bass, Pollack or Mackerel on the fly – I’ve a feeling that would be something a bit special and this year we’re determined to have a proper go at it.

Bee Orchid on the edge of a lake at Mere Beck

The weather here in Lancashire has been truly fantastic this last week and even though we’ve had a few very heavy showers we’ve managed to get out a couple of times. One mini walk round Mere Sands Wood nature reserve where the Marsh Orchids were flowering in the ‘meadow walk’, not much bird activity as I guess it’s too hot for them.

The other trip was last Saturday evening where we went to Mere Beck to have a quick practice with our new fly fishing gear.

With the weather being so hot and humid we were convinced there would be a hatch of all kinds of bugs on the lakes but it was strangely quiet – almost as if it was too hot even for these tiny creatures.

I did spot this beautiful Bee Orchid on the edge of one of the smaller lakes and although I only had the smaller camera with me I still manage to get a pic before the light faded completely.

I’m sure most of photography is being in the right place at the right time – better equipment cannot make an image that you didn’t take, it’s can just make a better image. Obviously there is a skill in ‘seeing’ the image in the first place and the technical aspects of getting the image into the camera but my moto is still “be in the right place at the right time”.

Marsh Orchid in 'The Meadow' at Mere Sands

Not sure what we’re doing this weekend, the paving at the back of the house is almost complete so I’ve the side door in the garage to replace but I’ve a sneaky feeling we may go fishing, just for a change…

First View of Mere Beck - The Pond Outside the Shop

With the weather being so fantastic it was time for Wendy’s birthday present
- a bit early but what can you do?

It’s not every girl that wants fly fishing lessons for her birthday and who was I to argue, so after a bit of last minute day off juggling with work we went to Mere Beck Fly Fishery which is just up the road from where we live for a bit of tuition and an afternoon of fly fishing.

On arrival Gordon had already set up one rod then explained what goes where while setting up the other. The kit we would be learning on wasn’t cheap and was in great condition. We had a quick natter about the line, rod and reel rating (which is all to do with the ‘weight’ of the line) and flies then headed down to some water where we would have a go.

I’ll not go into all the details of learning to fly fish but after about an hour or so we changed the dry flies we’d been practicing with (dry flies float and imitate surface bugs – we were using them so we could see what we were doing) to ‘wet’ flies which would sink and imitate swimming fly larvae of all types. It took a while to get used to not seeing the fly in the water but after a bit of practice we could judge approximately where it would land and by the time we stopped for lunch we’d got the hang of it.

Wendy Showing Me How it's Done

After finding a beautiful spot next to one of the lakes at the far end of the fishery we sat for a while and just watched the wildlife do it’s thing in front of us while we had a bit of a break, a bite to eat and a can of pop. And the wildlife at this time of year here in Lancashire is stunning.

We saw a Stoat, numerous Water Voles, Kingfisher, Kestrel and all the usual suspects such as Moorhen, Chaffinch and Canada Geese. And that was just the big stuff – there were hoards of butterflies and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Common Blue Damselflies.

Fisherman's Cabin - Great Place for a Brew

Throughout the afternoon we tried many different types of sinking and floating flies, all made to look like specific types of aquatic life but the fish weren’t feeding.

To be honest we knew the chances of catching something on this trip were slim to non-existent as the trout would be tucked away at the bottom of the lakes or under some reeds, waiting for the light to dim and the temperature to drop. It would have been great to catch something but it wasn’t realy the reason we’d gone.

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post the main reason we wanted to have a go at fly fishing was to see if it was something we could learn as a new method of sea fishing, primarily to target Bass during the summer.

Did it succeed? You bet it did. When I picked up the rod which weighed less that most of the leads I cast into the sea my instant thought was

this will make roaming around the coast a damn sight easier.

All you’d need would be a reel, spare spool, rod and flies – compared to what we normally carry this would be almost weightless! In my head I’ve already got a few marks sorted where I’d like to try for Mackerel, Pollack and of course, Bass.

In fact it’s got us so fired up that we’re thinking as well as getting a set of gear each for salt water we’d get another lighter set for ‘normal’ fly fishing for those days when weather, tide times, bad timing or just plain bad luck mean you can’t fish in the sea no matter how hard you try. I know there are some fly fisheries very close to where we stay on Anglesey.

As for what gear we’re going to get that going to take a bit more looking into – the information is out there, I’ve been looking at the United Kingdom Saltwater Fly Fishing and the Nick Hart Fly Fishing website,  it’s just going to take a while to sort out what we’ll need – rather than what we want…

Time flew and it seemed the afternoon just vanished so we handed back the gear to Gordon and after a chat and a cold can of coke from the fridge in the shop left just as a few people started to arrive, the ‘peak’ time at the moment being fishing into dusk. Until now we’d had the place to ourselves – probably because the fishing was poor during the heat of the day but we didn’t care – learning something new is easier without an audience.

Will we go back even though it’s not sea fishing? Hell yes!

Wendy Getting the Hang of the Roll Cast